| John James Audubon (1785-1851) | ||
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Audubon failed at his business ventures because he spent too much
time hunting and sketching birds. He shot as many as 100 birds a day in order to
picture them. He developed a system of wiring them into position while he drew or painted
them. (He returned from a buffalo hunt in 1843 with complaints that it was too bloody and
that the animals would be eliminated. "Surely this should not be permitted."
Then he went on hunting buffalo.)
His paintings of birds do not look natural, since he posed them to fit the canvas, and he emphasized violent actions. Many paintings are large (life-size) and so the printed volumes are huge. He would often paint the animal and then have an assistant or the engraver supply the background.
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Audubon Society -
birds